Improvement in odometers



STEVENS & DRAKE.

Odometer.

No. 69,504. Patented 0m. 1, 1867.-

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MARTlN W. STEV ENS AN D EBENEZER H. DRAKE, OF STQUGHTON, MASSAa CHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 69,504, cZatccZ October 1, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN ODOMETERS.

TO ALL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

Be it known that we, MARTIN W. STEVENS and EBnNEzEn H. DRAKE, of Stoughton, in the county of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have made a new and useful invention having reference to Odometers for wheel-carriages; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following Specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a top .view, and

Figure 2 a vertical section of a wheel and journal with my invention applied thereto.

Figure 3 is an under side view, and

Figure 4 a side view of the mechanism applied to the dial-plate.

Figure 5 is a side view of the dial-plate with the insulator or oil-guard applied thereto.

One peculiarity of this odometeris that it is applied directly to the hub A of the wheel, and revolves with it, and is actuated by a spring and by a cavity in the journal of the axle, and covered by the hub. This cavity allows the journal to be readily inserted in or withdrawn from the hub, the bottom of the cavity, while the journal is in the hub, and such hub is in revolution, acting as a cum to move the pitman of the odometer. The case B of the apparatus is a cylindrical box provided with a'tubular stem or shank, 0, extending from and opening out of it in'manner as shown in the drawings. A screw, a, is cut on the outer surface of the shank. The box B has also a femalescrew, 6, cut in it, and terminates against an annular shoulder, c, on which the dial-plate (Z, of the instrument is supported, such plate being held in place by a cap-ring, e, which contains a disk, of glass,f, and is secured in the mouth of the case. The dial-plate has a circle of divisions, and suitable numbers on it to indicate distances run by the carriage-wheel while revolving on a road An arbor, g, extends through the centre of the oral-plate d, and carries an indioatinghand, it. On this arbor, andagainst the rear side of the dial-plate, is a worm-gear, 2', which engages with a screw, it, of another arbor, carrying a worm-gear, Z. This latter worm-gear also engages with a screw on an arbor, m, on which is fixed a worm-gear, n, whichengages with a screw, 0, on another arbor, on which a ratchet, p, is fixed. To the said ratchet there is a retaining-pawl, q, and an impelling-pawl, 1', the latter being jointed to an arm, a, of a shaft, t, provided with a crank, u, the whole being arranged as represented. 'All of the said mechanism situated below the dialplate, except the crank 10, is covered by a cap or guard or hollow case, 1), which serves to protect the operative mechanism within it from dust and oil liable to get into the case B from the sleeve of the wheel-hub. A rod or pitman, 10, arranged in the shank C, enters at its lower end a notch, a, made in the journal D of the carriageaxle, such notch being formed in the said journal in manner as shown in top view in Figure 6, and in side view in Figure 7. At its upper end the pitman is connected with the wrist of the crank Qt by a link or auxiliary pitman, 3 A spring, a, fixed at one end to the dial-plate, rests at its other end on the upper extremity of the said link 3/. Duringeach revolution of the carriage-wheel on its journal, the pitmau will pass through the notch in the journal, and will be depressed by the spring a. The bottom of the notch, however, as the hub continues to revolve, will act as a cam to move the pitman inan opposite direction The two movements of the pitman recti'linearly will cause the pawl to act upon and revolve the ratchet with an intermittent motion. This movement of the ratchet will set the train of screws and wormgears in movement so as to revolve the indexarbor and move the indicator over the dial-plate, so as to indicate from time to time the number of revolutions of the wheel, or the number of miles or distance run by the carriage.

We are aware that it is not new to operate an odometer by a device projecting from or connected with a wheel, such odometer being fixed on the axle or carriage-body; therefore we do not claim such.

What we claim as of our invention, is as follows, that is to say:

We claim the application of the odometer with the hub B and its journal 1), in manner as specified in connection with the formation of such journal, with a notch, :r, and the application thereto, and to the odometer train, of a pitman, y, and a spring, 2, to operate the said train, substantially in manner and by the revolution of the wheel-hub in the axle-journal as specified.

We also claimthe combination and arrangement of the cap or guard v'with the train, the dial-plate, and the case B,-aud its hollow shank C.

We also claim the arrangement and combination of the spring 2, and the cranked shaft 15, and its pawl 1-, with the train of gears and screws for operating the index-arbor g, as specified.

MARTIN W. STEVENS, EBENEZER H. DRAKE.

Witnesses:

F. P. HALE, Jr., R. H. EDDY. 

